


cruelty and kindness

by LiveLaughLovex



Series: dare to dance [6]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Post-Episode: s10e05 He 'oi'o Kuhihewa; He Kaka Ola I 'ike 'ia E Ka Makaula
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 11:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21178727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex
Summary: "It was well past midnight when Steve arrived, but the party was still going strong."(Post-Episode coda for s10e05. In the aftermath of the night's events, the group gathers to celebrate Halloween and discuss all that's happened.)





	cruelty and kindness

**Author's Note:**

> "It's hard to judge cruelty when you've never known kindness." - Igor Strausman, Young Frankenstein

It was well past midnight when Steve arrived, but the party was still going strong. Kono glanced up when he walked through the front door, offering a sympathetic smile when she caught sight of the look on his face.

“Hey,” she greeted, gesturing to the empty seat next to her. “How’s Noelani doing?”

He sank into the chair with a heavy sigh. “About as well as can be expected. Still blames herself for what that family went through, of course. Helps that she’s going to be able to give them some answers now.”

“You caught the killers,” Kono reminded him.

“We did,” Steve agreed. “And now the victim’s sister might very well spend time in prison. That makes it feel like less of a victory.”

“She did kill two people,” Kono pointed out quietly. “And tried to kill a third. And I know what they did was awful, but that doesn’t change the fact that she broke the law.”

"I can understand why," Steve admitted. "If someone did to Mary what those guys did to Lana, I can't honestly say I wouldn't react the same way." 

"You wouldn't," Kono said confidently. "There's a kid to think of now. You wouldn't risk Joan growing up without any of her family around." 

"She'd have all of you," Steve answered simply. 

Kono smiled slightly. "Regardless, you wouldn't do what she did. No matter what those boys did, there was somebody out there that loved them that's now going through the exact same thing Emily did when she found out she'd lost her sister. What she did was revenge, not justice." 

“When did you become the rational one out of us?” Steve questioned, only half-joking.

“It was kind of forced upon me. My bullpen gets a little wild during some cases,” Kono replied, picking up her beer bottle and taking a swig before setting it back on the table next to her.

“Yeah, I can imagine.” Steve glanced around the room. “Where’d John Wick go?”

“Which one are you talking about?” Kono returned with an amused smirk. “Max and Tunde are in the kitchen. Somehow, seeing Max as a father is both insanely weird and also completely and totally normal,” she added, nodding in the direction of their friend. The former medical examiner was seated at Flippa’s kitchen table with Tunde, sorting through the candy the little boy had been given throughout the night.

Steve nodded in agreement. “That’s one lucky kid, that’s for sure.”

“I can’t imagine how he felt tonight,” Kono commented, shaking her head at the very thought. "Or Flippa." 

"Neither can I. Things could've gone a lot worse than they did. That kid's definitely Max's, though. Nurture won out over nature. According to some of the others that were there when Kimo arrived, Tunde approached him like it was nothing and offered him candy." 

"He's a sweetheart," Kono murmured, smiling at the little boy as he pointed out the superheroes on one of the candy wrappers to his father. "Max and Sabrina are doing a great job with him."

"They are." Steve glanced over at her. "Speaking of parents, how're yours? You went to see them tonight, didn't you?" 

She nodded. “I go over every Halloween. Handing out candy to the kids in costume is one of the very few things that brings a smile to my mom’s face these days. They were… good. Tired. Dad said they’ve had a lot of late nights lately, but nothing he can’t handle. Of course, he’d never tell me even if it was, so I’m taking that with a grain of salt.”

“Well, if they ever need anything I can help with…” Steve began.

“I know,” Kono murmured, flashing him a grateful smile. “I just... I don't even know how _I_ can help at the moment. But I'll let you know if they need your help, I promise." 

“Good.” He returned his attention to their gathered friends. “Adam mention to you why Zoey’s not here?”

“No. But I don’t really think his ex-wife would be the first person he’d choose to explain his girlfriend’s absence to,” Kono said wryly. “It’s Halloween, and she’s a doctor. Lot of stupid people doing stupid things tonight. My guess is she’s at the hospital.”

“Makes sense.”

“Hey, I meant to ask you earlier - how’d things go with Eddie?” Kono questioned absently, grabbing a chocolate from the table and carefully unwrapping it as she waited for his answer.

“He did not stick to the script,” Steve replied defeatedly. “Though I don’t know if it would’ve mattered. Those kids didn’t even flinch when I jumped out in the mask. What’re those parents doing, letting them watch _The Shining _the day they’re born?”

“Hate to break it to you, boss, but you’re nowhere near as terrifying as Jack Nicholson,” Kono informed him, popping the chocolate into her mouth. “And Eddie’s a sweetheart. I guess he just wasn’t feeling fearsome lion when the trick-or-treaters dropped by.”

“I guess,” Steve agreed begrudgingly. “We’ll just work on it for next year.”

“Okay,” Kono nodded, stifling a laugh. “You go ahead and do that.”

“You two aren’t being very social over here, you know,” Lou commented, claiming one of the chairs across from them. “You haven’t heard the story of what Tani thought we were dealing with when we first got to that house.”

Tani approached just in time to catch the end of his sentence. “Okay, she was a former nun who kept her kid locked up in a fruit cellar. Excuse me for thinking the obvious.”

“To most people, the plot of _Rosemary’s Baby _wouldn’t be the obvious in that situation,” Lou retorted.

“Yeah, well, in the end, neither of us was completely right, so let’s just let it go,” Tani requested.

“Sure thing, kiddo,” Lou agreed easily enough, though the amused smirk on his face suggested he didn’t plan to do any such thing. Kono predicted they’d all be hearing the story of this night for years to come.

“I still can’t believe that one,” Kono murmured. “I know the world’s cruel, but I don’t know. I think that might’ve been crueler.”

“Sister Edith was trying to protect a lot of people. She didn’t always go about it in the right way, but she did her best.”

“I guess,” Kono acquiesced.

“You know, the Halloween cases keep getting weirder each year,” Tani commented.

“Yeah, that’s a side effect of people getting weirder each year,” Lou replied.

Kono nodded in agreement. “My plan next year is to fly to the mainland. That way I won’t be called in to investigate after a group of gang members rob a bank wearing the masks of former presidents.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Steve replied approvingly.

Apparently, Tani was not as willing as her boss to let that one go undiscussed. "I'm sorry, they robbed a bank wearing what?"

"It was supposed to be some grand political statement, I'm pretty sure. Of course, they forgot to cover their tattoos, and most of them had already served time, so it took us about five minutes to identify them after we got our hands on the security tape. Their plans for anonymity didn't work out as they'd planned, but hey, I've got to give them a few points for creativity, right? But yeah, definitely spending next October 31st in either Los Angeles or New York," she finished, bringing herself back around to her original point. 

“I will, I’ll still be calling you to keep you updated on the weirdness we’re enduring, though,” Tani warned.

Kono sighed amusedly. “Oh, well, I think that’s a given.”


End file.
